


It's The Word

by Stormysongbird



Series: (re)Written!Verse [4]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Angst, Bad Decisions, F/M, Romance, takes place mid chapter seven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 00:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12737526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormysongbird/pseuds/Stormysongbird
Summary: He takes her home and takes care of her after her possession. There's tea and talking and kisses. But Jenny Calendar never expected this.





	It's The Word

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this part of the series since early October and now it's finally time to show it off!!! Takes place after the scene at the cliff when Giles goes to take Jenny home.
> 
> Major thanks to 23Murasaki for beta reading, helping me when I got stuck, and inadvertently helping me find a title!

Rupert Giles’s place, while not a whole lot bigger, is much nicer part of town than hers. Having two salaries must really make all the difference. But were nice neighbors really a good compensation for a bedroom that’s separated from the rest of the place by a door? Jenny takes the time to mull this over as Rupert putters around in his kitchen while she sits on the couch, letting the heat of the fire do it’s work. She can’t go back to her place. At least not yet. It’s still trashed from her attempt at scrying, Ethan drawing a protection spell all over her living room and a vampire abduction. If her landlord wasn’t crazy about her burning incense and computer setup then she’s definitely not getting her deposit back now. Jenny stares into the fire that Rupert had lit with a spell as they entered the house. It gave a new light to the room. Highlighted the books, artifacts, and weapons everywhere. He probably hadn’t had time to clean lately. Too much research and stockpiling for war. Kind of makes it cozy She’s jerked from her rumination by the sound of the kettle gently whistling. A few seconds later Rupert is handing her a warm mug filled with tea that smells like apples and cinnamon. Jenny takes a deep drink, glad he remembered her favorite. He even put a little honey in it. Letting the mug warm her hands she drew her legs up under her. That water had been...colder than she could have imagined. The technopagan thought she could still feel it in her bones. The tea and the fire do help.

“You’re sure you’re alright.” Rupert’s hand touches her wrist. She knows the look in his eye. He wants her to reassure him that things are just fine. That whatever was in her head has fully vacated the premises (leaving only a killer headache behind). He wants her to poke fun at how British it is that he made her tea in the wake of a crisis, the amount of books everywhere, call him stuffy. And she’ll do all that and more, but later. Right now she just kisses him, feels his stubble on her face and smells the scent that is just so uniquely Giles. Like...old books actually. She buries her face in his shoulder so she can smell it more. "I'm alright Rupert, I'm alright." And she's nearly positive she means it.

The fire is dying a bit and she shivers again. California has its share of cold breezes and nights, something she never would have thought when she moved here. Jenny took another couple sips of tea to combat it, letting it warm her all the way down. By the time she lowers the mug it's Rupert who is staring into the fire. She wants to say something, break the tension, but the words just don't come. So he speaks first.

"Do you have any idea what possessed you?" He's in Watcher-mode. His accent has changed slightly and he's sitting up straighter. There was the same pompous British librarian who had looked down his nose at her when she’d come to him with the idea to scan some of his books to make them available without needing to check them out (she had thought it was a good plan). In that moment she kind of wants to hit him a little bit. Mostly because she knows he's right. They have to be on top of these things. They have to be the Watcher Giles and technopagan Ms. Calendar now. No matter how much she wants it to be just Rupert and Jenny, just for a little while.

"I told you in the hospital, it's all a blur. I remember Spike, and the water and...the rest is just dark." Jenny admits, and it is the truth. Those who were possessed by anything spiritual almost never got a full picture. It was less like getting pushed into the backseat of the car you were driving, and a lot more like being locked in the trunk. Occasionally you got a look through the keyhole but that was about it. "The rest of the kids filled me in." She adds, trying to be at least a little helpful. "They don't think what was in me was exactly evil." She was still alive and mostly unharmed. "Just...another herald of the apocalypse." And when was the apocalypse not nigh around here? Rupert was right this was definitely something worth looking into. Too bad he was so technophobic that she couldn’t get online and contact the coven. One day she was going to break in here an install a PC. “Maybe..." She sets the tea down on the coffe table and stands. "Maybe if I do a little scrying, it can tell us a little more?" All she needs to do that is some water and a bowl and she knows where he keeps those. He even has a twice blessed dark bowl kept in the magic cabinet with the specific purpose of scrying. Won't give her images as clear as her, now shattered, crystal ball but it will have to do.

Jenny's opened the cabinet and pushed past the lemongrass and focusing crystals when she feels Rupert's hand on her shoulder. He's pushing her back to the couch.

And suddenly he's kissing her. And not the awkward peck in front of Ethan, who's relationship to her boyfriend she's STILL trying to figure out. These kisses warm her up faster than the tea (right to her toes even!) and she's eager to join in. His hands are in her hair and hers are working their way around trying to get his shirt off. Really it's a pity when he stops.

"I can't lose you." His voice is rough and low, like he's holding back tears. "Not again." He's got tears in his eyes and on his cheeks. Slowly she wipes them away with her thumbs, being careful of his glasses. "I'm right here Rupert." She reassures letting her palm cup his cheek. "And I'm not going anywhere." His response is to roughly kiss her again. She's about to suggest they take this upstairs (and wouldn't that be the perfect end to this little adventure) when he stops again. "You're starting to turn into a tease Snobby." She says with a little of her old smile. He chuckles and ducks his head. "Perhaps I am." He scratches the back of his neck and takes a step back. "But there's ah...something I um w-wanted to ask you first." That perks her interest. Probably if she needs more tea or is warm enough. She smiles. "I'm all ears." That smile fades as Giles reaches into his pocket and sinks down to one knee.

It's a ring, an engagement ring. An engagement ring in a little clamshell box. Jenny can feel her heartbeat thundering in her ears and her throat has gone dry. He's saying something now, but she can't hear over the roaring in her ears. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't dreamed of this moment. All women in the clan were expected to marry early and produce lots of new little clan members. She had about nine nieces and nephews herself, probably more coming, since she hadn’t called home in a while. So those dreams had come along with a sense of duty. Only after she had left and come to work at Sunnydale High that the dreams had stopped for a while then...come back. Only this time there was a man behind the ring.

Rupert Giles.

This was something she could want. A marriage to the man she loved. Living here in this little house with him. Him and his Watcher life, and his tiny Slayer and her surprisingly competent at times friends. She loved the stuffy British man and knew that he loved her. She also knew what she had to say.

"No."

The look of hurt on his face breaks her heart. She wants to say yes. Nearly every part of her brain is screaming that she should say yes because she loves this man and she wants to make a life with him! But she can also see the faces of her mother and sisters too. Jenny's eyes fill with tears as Rupert slowly lowers his arm. "What?"

"It's just...not...the right time." The excuse sounds lame in her own ears. "I mean...We just..." Okay Jenny make words, you've been doing that since you were a year old. "We can't fast forward like this." Now Rupert is standing and he looks like he's moving from shellshocked to angry. "Fast forward."

"Fast forward." This seemed like a good idea, Jenny was going to run with it. "We can't fast forward to the next step just because we're scared. We can't jump to the honeymoon just because one of us has had a bad day Rupert." And being possessed and kidnapped had been pretty damn scary. "I mean I just started leaving my toothbrush at your place, and, you don’t know any modern Romanian.” Getting bogged down in details here Jenny. “That's...not a good relationship. If we went ahead with this... We'd regret it. Maybe not today or tomorrow but we would. And I don't want to regret this." Now the tears were really coming. "I don't want to regret you Rupert. I love you."

"Bloody fine way of showing it." He's slipping the ring back into his pocket and is staring coldly at her. The Watcher staring at a recalcitrant Slayer. Or the bibliophile looking down his nose at the computer science teacher. "Not the right time." He mutters under his breath. "Well, just so I know, when exactly would be the right time." His voice is detached ice. "Janna."

Jenny's voice shakes. "Don't do that." Not telling him earlier had been a mistake. She knew that. To throw it back in her face was just cruel. “Don’t do what. Remind you of how you lied to me the first part of our relationship, wouldn’t even tell me your given name or that you were sent here to get involved in the duty of MY Slayer? You were playing two sides Janna. How do I know all this,” he swept his hand around the room “wasn’t a ploy to learn all you could. Once you were done you’d be on your way.” His voice dropped to an icy whisper. “How do I know you ever loved me at all.”

Jenny felt a sob catch in her throat. He had points of course but she thought they had worked past them. They had talked about it extensively for so many nights. She was doing everything she could to make things right. Thought they had more solid footing than this.

“I never lied about that.” She tried to pour every last bit of sincerity into her words. “I never lied about how I felt.” She shook her head trying to get this back on more solid ground. “Please.” She tries to go for something a little calmer. Maybe he would catch that and do likewise. “Let’s just...sit down and talk. I know...I know we can work this out.”

“Alright let’s bloody talk about this! Cards on the table.” Rupert slammed the flat of his hand on the desk. “No more lying-“

“I never lied about bring in love with you!” Jenny yelled. She wished she had something to throw. She shakily drew a breath. “There’s nothing left to hide. I promise. I know-“

Rupert cut her off. “What would have been the right time? Never? When we're both dead--or worse? When the world has gone ahead and ended? What do I need to do to make you understand–“ 

Tears were on her cheeks now. “Rupert please, I know-“

“You seem to know everything.” Giles cut her off again. “Tell me, what can I say and when would it be the best time to ensure you say yes.” Jenny took a small step back. "Rupert....you're just scared. You know that this isn't the time." Giles laughed mirthlessly. "Yes well you seem to know everything don't you." He spat. A little bit of anger rose up in Jenny at that. "Well you're certainly not going to be an adult and talk about this." She retorted. Giles took his own paces back, mage battle paces, the back of her mind notes. "What exactly is there to say?" His voice has gone quiet. "I asked you to marry me and you clearly don't feel the same way. Clearly we're wasting our time." That hurt, it took all Jenny had to stand her ground. "Rupert..."

"I think you should leave." His voice has absolutely no inflection in it. He was done. The door opened itself behind her as he stared her down. "Please..." She had only wanted to keep them on solid ground! Not...not this. But it was time to be an adult about this.

"You know the number if you want to talk." She said stiffly and walked out the door, feeling it slam shut behind her. Jenny had just gotten outside of the courtyard before she gave up and collapsed into choked back sobs.

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't throw garbage at me?


End file.
